Cancer patients who die at home with hospice care experience a better quality of life at the end compared to those who die in a hospital or intensive care unit, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study also found that bereaved caregivers at hospitals or ICUs are at increased risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder, notes HealthDay News.
The inconsistent quality of life likely stems from an ICU and hospice having different objectives, the authors told the Los Angeles Times. A hospital and ICU tend to emphasize staying alive at all costs, while hospice care focuses on comfort at the end of life.
On a scale of 0 to 10--with 0 being the worst--patients prior to dying at home rated their quality of life at 7.3 and 6.6 at home with hospice care. Patients prior to dying in a hospital or ICU rated their QoL at 5.3 and 5.0, respectively.
"These findings are important because patients with advanced cancer are receiving increasingly aggressive care at the EOL," the study's authors told HealthDay News. "Interventions aimed at decreasing terminal hospitalizations or increasing hospice utilization may enhance patients' QoL at the EOL and minimize bereavement-related distress."
Patients who received home hospice care rated their physical comfort level at 6.6--the highest--while ICU patients gave the lowest rating of 3.6.
For more:
- here's the study's abstract from the Journal of Clinical Oncology
- read the Los Angeles Times article
- read the HealthDay News article